The psalmist’s hope rests on God (verse 14a), for which he will praise him more and more (literally “I will add to all your praise”). I will hope continually may be rendered “I will always look forward with confidence,” or figuratively, “I will always place my heart on you.”
Thy righteous acts and thy deeds of salvation in verse 15a-b translate the plural of “your righteousness” and “your salvation.” This agrees well with the plural “numbers” in line c, but the initial conjunction of that line is used in a concessive sense, “although, even though” (see Good News Translation), and not as Revised Standard Version has it, for (which makes for a contradiction). It seems better, however, to use the plural forms as Revised Standard Version does, and make the two lines quite synonymous: “your saving actions … the things you did to save us.”
In some languages tell of thy righteous acts requires shifting so that there is a listener; for example, “I will tell the people about the good things you have done.” In some languages the noun phrase deeds of salvation must be shifted to a clause; for example, “I will tell the people how you have saved us” or “I will tell them how you saved your people.” In some languages all the day, if translated literally, will mean that the psalmist speaks of God’s acts only during daylight hours, whereas the intention is “all the time,” and in such languages it will have to be translated by an equivalent expression.
The third line of verse 15 is somewhat strange in Hebrew; the word translated their number is understood in different ways. Some take it to be the plural of a word occurring nowhere else in the Old Testament, “numbers”; others take it to be the plural of the word for “list, book.” Good News Translation understands the Hebrew to say “for I don’t know the number (of them),” in the sense “it is more than I can understand” (similarly New American Bible “though I know not their extent”; also Biblia Dios Habla Hoy); see a similar expression in 40.5.14-16 Hebrew Old Testament Text Project calls this a difficult passage and states that the proposed interpretation, “I cannot count them,” is the most probable one. Bible de Jérusalem and New Jerusalem Bible take it to be a marginal note by a copyist: “I have not known how to read the letters” (see the Septuagint). New Jerusalem Bible has “though I know not how to tell it”; New English Bible “although I have not the skill of a poet”; and Bible en français courant “even though your good deeds are innumerable.” Good News Translation‘s interpretation seems to be the best one to follow.
In verse 16a I will come may imply that the psalmist is talking about going to the Temple to praise God (so Bible en français courant “I will enter your house”; also Anderson). Good News Translation has taken it as an affirmation of the psalmist’s determination to praise God (see also Biblia Dios Habla Hoy, Traduction œcuménique de la Bible). It is difficult to make sense of Revised Standard Version With the mighty deeds … I will come. Good News Translation “strength” translates the singular form “in power” found in many Hebrew manuscripts; Revised Standard Version follows the Masoretic text plural form mighty deeds. Both Revised Standard Version and Good News Translation take this to refer to God; New Jerusalem Bible has “I will come in the power of Yahweh,” and Bible en français courant “because of your intervention (on my behalf).” If the translator follows Good News Translation “I will go in the strength of the LORD God,” it may be necessary in some languages to shift to a reason-result clause structure; for example, “because you are powerful, LORD, I will praise you,” or “I will say you are great, LORD, because you are powerful,” or “… because you do powerful deeds.”
Lord GOD (Good News Translation “LORD God”) translates “Lord Yahweh.”
I will praise in verse 16b translates the causative of the Hebrew verb for “to remember”; the causative means “cause to be remembered; to profess, praise.” Righteousness translates tsedaqah (see comments at 5.8); Bible en français courant has “your faithfulness,” and New Jerusalem Bible “your saving powers.” Praise thy righteousness must often be shifted into two clauses; for example, “I will say that you are great because you are faithful,” or as two coordinate clauses, “you are loyal to your people and I will praise you.”
The final words, thine alone, express the psalmist’s complete dedication to God, which he has expressed so eloquently in verses 14-16. There is no other source, human or divine, from which comes salvation. Thine alone may be translated as an exclusive restriction on the psalmist’s praise: “I will praise you, and no one else” or “I will praise you only–no one else.”
Quoted with permission from Bratcher, Robert G. and Reyburn, William D. A Handbook on the Book of Psalms. (UBS Helps for Translators). New York: UBS, 1991. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .